Our Hearts, They Beat and Break
by blueink3
Summary: Where did Finn go when Burt kicked him out of the house? Will isn't sure what's going on when Finn shows up on his doorstep, but Kurt arrives for some clarification. Will/Kurt friendship.


Will spun the chair around and sat on it backwards, resting his arms on the back and letting his chin fall into his hands. He listened to the gentle snores of the boy who passed out on his couch not half an hour ago after showing up on his doorstep nearly incoherent. The boy was too big for the couch. His legs dangled over the armrest and his left arm hung loosely near the floor.

Will sighed. He had tried to get Finn to talk about what had happened but all he received in return was a garbled, "Kurt… awful… his dad… my mom… I can't…" and then he broke down. Will had ushered him to the couch and handed him a glass of water and a box of tissues. After crying into Will's shoulder for the better part of an hour, Finn passed out.

Will stood up and stretched, kneading his fingers into the back of his neck. He tried not to get involved in his students' personal lives, but when it came to his glee kids, he couldn't help it. Of course, it didn't help when one of his students showed up on his doorstep at 10:00 at night saying he had nowhere else to go. Will certainly wasn't going to turn him away. He stared at Finn's sprawled limbs and chuckled; Finn was the epitome of a "gentle giant," always watching out for the smaller ones. Which is why Will didn't understand when his student stumbled through his door claiming he had done something terrible. Will shook his head and draped a blanket over Finn's sleeping form. They'd talk about it in the morning.

A knock at the door caused Will's brow to furrow and he glanced at his watch. It was way too late for anyone to be calling. Checking to make sure the noise didn't wake Finn, Will jogged to the door and glanced through the peephole. He'd recognize that couture anywhere.

"Kurt?" Will said as he swung the door open.

"Is he here?"

"Who? Finn?"

Kurt rolled his eyes. "Yes, Finn."

Will nodded, "Yes, he's here, but he's sleeping."

"Well, at least he's not dead. That's all I wanted to know" Kurt spun on his heel and started to march back down the hall.

"Kurt, wait!" Will placed a hand on his shoulder and spun him around.

"What happened? I didn't get much out of Finn – he was pretty distraught when he showed up."

Kurt sighed and attempted to uphold his air of disinterest, but no matter how high he raised his chin, he couldn't keep the waver from his voice.

"I'd prefer not to talk about it."

Will shoved his hands in his pockets. "Look, whatever happened. I know you two. You'll work it out."

"I don't know about that." Kurt's dignified façade slipped a little more as his glossy eyes betrayed him.

Will put his hand on Kurt's shoulder again. "Come on. Come inside for a bit."

Kurt opened his mouth to protest, but he didn't resist as Will gently tugged him towards his apartment.

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Kurt had never been in Mr. Schue's apartment before. He stared at the perfectly painted walls and carefully planned color schemes, vaguely registering the gentle snoring in the background.

It didn't look like a man's apartment and Kurt had to remind himself that Mr. Schue hadn't always lived alone. The furniture matched a little too perfectly and the accents complemented a little too much. Though Mr. Schue's wife was no longer in the picture, her ghost remained. Maybe that's why Mr. Schue spent so much time at school.

Kurt followed his teacher into the kitchen as if on autopilot, sparing a glance into the living room just long enough to make out Finn's sleeping form on the couch. He watched as Will placed a kettle on the stove and lit the burner before turning around and crossing his arms.

"So…"

"So…" Kurt didn't plan on making this easy for his teacher.

Will sighed. "What happened?"

"I told you I don't want to talk about it."

Will nodded and gestured for Kurt to take a seat at the kitchen table. Kurt hesitated but plopped down in the seat anyway. He watched as Will moved around the kitchen, opening cabinets and pulling out a box of tea before taking a seat at the table across from Kurt.

"How's your dad?"

Kurt raised his eyebrows at the change in topic. 'Uh, he's great. I guess. I mean, he was great earlier today. Now I'm not so sure."

Will frowned but didn't press for more information. Kurt was grateful for that. An easy silence fell over them as they listened to Finn's snoring, but the shrill whistle of the kettle cut through the air.

Will jumped up and turned the stove off. "Chamomile okay?"

"What?" Kurt watched as Will held up a box of tea. "Oh, yeah. Chamomile's great."

Kurt continued his silent exploration of his teacher's apartment. The kitchen was great. Nice countertops, decent appliances. His took in Mr. Schue's appearance; it was odd to see him out of his vests and ties. Will wandered around the kitchen in jeans and a T-shirt, his socks making him slide a little bit on the hard wood floors. Kurt thought he looked much younger outside of the classroom.

"Hey, Mr. Schue, would you say you know Finn pretty well?"

His teacher chuckled. "I used to think I knew all of you pretty well, but you still manage to surprise me."

Kurt nodded. "I thought I knew Finn, but I was wrong."

Will sighed. "Look, Kurt, I want to help you, but you gotta throw me a line. I can't do anything unless I know a little about what's going on." He placed the mugs of tea on the table and Kurt stared at the steam as it rose into the air.

"Finn called me a fag."

And there it was. A simple enough admission but the word shattered the still air like a gunshot. Kurt couldn't bear to look at the shock that washed over his teacher's face. It was almost too much.

"What?"

Kurt cleared his throat but kept his eyes on his tea. "He, um, well he didn't call _me_ a fag per se, but he called a blanket I used to decorate our room 'faggy'… My Dad overheard him."

"Jesus." Will rubbed a hand over his face.

Kurt shrugged. "I know he probably didn't mean it, but… he still said it. So my Dad kicked him out. Yours was the fourth place I looked."

"Kurt…"

"It's all right, Mr. Schue. You don't have to say anything." He couldn't stand the pity in his teacher's voice or the resignation in his own. "I know that you two are close. I don't want to ruin your opinion of him."

"No one should be made to feel less than they are. Trust me, I know."

Kurt felt like Mr. Schue was giving him a brief glimpse into what his turbulent few months last winter had been like. Just because you're a teacher doesn't mean you're immune to having your world implode.

"I've grown used to being called that." Kurt met his teacher's gaze and he couldn't help the tear that fell on his cheek. "Isn't that sad?"

"I was called that in high school."

Kurt ran the back of his hand across his cheek. "You were?"

Will nodded. "Our national championship didn't exactly mean a lot to the jocks. And it didn't matter that I was dating the head cheerleader, I could sing and dance. So that's what I was labeled."

"Sucks, doesn't it."

"Yes, yes it does. But it sucks even more when it comes from someone you trust."

Kurt tightened his grip on the mug in front of him, but he didn't trust his voice to successfully hide the pain he felt. It was a bit unnerving how Mr. Schue always seemed to see right through him.

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Will watched Kurt's fingers strangle the mug, knuckles turning white. The steam tapered off as the chamomile cooled. It was one thing for his kids to face adversity from the jocks or other "outsiders." He hated having to confront it within their own little unit.

Kurt cleared his throat and gestured to the living room. "He's gonna be pretty sore when he wakes up."

Will shrugged. "Consider it part of his comeuppance."

Kurt stood and adjusted the pashmina around his neck. "I should go. Please don't tell him I was here. Or that I told you what he said. I think he's beating himself up enough. He doesn't need your disappointment too."

Kurt was right. Will did feel disappointment. Lots of it. And his disappointment only grew as the array of emotions flicked across Kurt's face.

"You're a great teacher, Mr. Schue, but you've always been a bit of a bleeding heart when it comes to us. Not that we mind."

Will couldn't help but chuckle. "Thanks, Kurt."

Kurt dramatically tossed the scarf over his shoulder in a way that he had perfected long ago.

"Wait, before you go…" Will jogged to his briefcase and pulled out some papers. "I'm thinking of doing a Broadway theme for glee next week. Think you can tackle this for me?"

Kurt took the sheet music and immediately his eyes lit up. "I Am What I Am' from La Cage aux Folles?"

"Seemed like it was up your alley." Will gave him a warm smile. "If you bring half of the passion you had for Rose's Turn, you'll knock it out of the park."

"You saw Rose's Turn?"

Will felt his face flush. "I was hiding in the back, but I left when your Dad came in. I didn't want to intrude."

"I, uh, I'm glad you liked it. I had a lot to say and it seemed like the only way to say it."

Will led him to the door and patted him on the back. "Kurt, you've always been proud of who you are… and I've always been proud of you for that."

Will could have sworn he saw another tear fall on Kurt's cheek but the teenager's air of confidence was firmly in place before Will could be sure.

Kurt pointed to the living room again. "Thanks for taking him in. It's nice to know he had somewhere to go."

Will smiled. "Kurt, if you ever need somewhere to go… you know where to find me."

And without warning, Kurt had launched himself at Will in a bone-crushing hug. Will barely had time to return it before Kurt let go and backed down the hallway.

"See ya later, Mr. Schue."

And then he was gone.


End file.
